A New Regime
by Lord Revan Flame
Summary: Five years ago, the Storm Hawks chased Cyclonis to the Far Side, disappearing from the known Atmos. Five years later, the battle with the remains of Cyclonia continues as a new tyrant tries to seize control. With the Storm Hawks back and Cyclonis in custody, it would seem the war is won. Unfortunately, it is only the beginning as an ancient power linked to Cyclonia's past returns.


**Hello Storm Hawk Fanfiction Fans!**

**New story!**

**So, this is another Storm Hawks story I decided to make**

**The last one was made when I was a freshman in high school i.e. "Storm Hawks: Fall of Atmos"  
**

**I am now Junior and I am now better at writing  
(Also, 16-year-old High Schooler with a love for writing)**

**So this story**

**It's basically a continuation of Storm Hawks in my eyes**

**Also**

**Wanna point this out**

**Slightly inspired by PariahDark's "Lark's Adventure"  
(Check that out, or check out the first book of that series "Aerrow's Adventure")**

**Now**

**I am also implementing something I don't think anyone's thought of before**

**And it might get a bit dark  
(But also badass)**

**I hope you love this story**

**Also**

**AerrowxCyclonis**

**Totes on that**

**Quick note**

**The story is 5 years after the end of Cyclonia Rising Part, so now they're young adults**

**So, let's get started shall we?**

* * *

Atmos, a world of a thousand mountain top kingdoms, each protected by a squadron of Sky Knights, brave warriors and guardians who served to protect their homes. Atop mighty mesas civilizations flourished, either the original or colonies settled by explorers. This majestic world was powered by magical stones known as Crystals that embodied the elements in all their forms.

For years the people of Atmos ruled the skies, their ships and skimmers allowing them the power to dominate the clouds they had watched for so long. It was for a great time that one power dominated all of Atmos, however. This power, was known as the Cyclonian Empire. Its origins forgotten, but its power revered and feared by many. It was not so long ago that the subjects of the empire overthrew their tyrannic rulers and so began the war between the Sky Knights of Atmos against the Cyclonians and their allies. Neither faction gaining an upper hand in their war for dominance or freedom.

The Cyclonians, they believed the Terras would submit and the Sky Knights would run into hiding like the cowards they thought them to be. They were, however, wrong as they did not predict that the Sky Knights would stand their ground and repel their assault. The war would be long, spanning all of their known world, every terra either ravaged by the battles or filled with worry by news of each struggle. It was in the days of the war when the free Atmos began losing that a new hero arose, Lightning Strike, leader of the revered Storm Hawks.

With his team of Sky Knights, the mighty warrior united all Atmos under the plan to directly attack Cyclonia. They pushed back the forces of darkness and soon came to their doorstep, only to be betrayed. They had planned to enter the Cyclonian tower, defeat anyone who stood in their way, and defeat Master Cyclonis herself. But, this plan ended in failure, for Lightning Strike's own co-pilot betrayed him for power.

Taken to the leader of the Cyclonian Empire, this traitor became known as Dark Ace, most feared champion of Cyclonia and the right hand of Master Cyclonis. This flourishing of Cyclonian war mongering would not last, unfortunately for them, as a new opposition arose. The surviving son of Lightning Strike, Aerrow would come to learn of his past and rise to the challenge.

He would build his team of his friends that were made along his way to the status of Sky Knight and soon would set off to become a true Sky Knight. He completed his training and was accepted into the ranks of Atmos' guardians when he retook the Aurora Stone, the most powerful crystal in Atmos from Master Cyclonis, the newest and young Empress of Cyclonia.

Through the years he and his team denied Cyclonis the victory she required, until she discovered the Door to the Far Side of Atmos, an uncharted region of the world they lived in. She used the doorway to gain access to knowledge and technology far beyond anything on the side she resided in. With this, she waged all out war and annihilated the Sky Knights, but most of all defeated the Storm Hawks. However, the Storm Hawks not only escaped from their capture, but freed all of their brothers and sisters-in-arms, gaining them their army of Sky Knights and eventual victory over the Cyclonian Empire.

With Master Cyclonis fleeing through the door to the Far Side and the Storm Hawks giving chase, the rest of Atmos celebrated. Peace had been achieved, gained from their long struggle and now they could live without the fear of war coming to their homes. This would be a fairly long peace, a single year in total, but an acceptable amount, an amount that was enjoyed.

Peace, like war, cannot last forever.

* * *

Down the great valley she flew, floating swiftly over a greenish, bluish gray ground embedded with glowing stones. Crystals shined all around her, but they were not the crystals she required, not the kind she needed. With he sharpened staff in hand, she levitated towards the massive stone edifice that stood as a testament to the ages passed, a monument left to the mercy of nature.

Cyclonis turned her head to a familiar sound, an irking sound. Out of the clouds above came a ship, the Condor, and with it several skimmers.

"Again?" she spat under her breath and flipped herself over, facing the ship above as she raised her arms in mid-flight.

"Hey Cyclonis!" a familiar red headed boy shouted as he appeared next to the young empress.

"You have persisted to long Storm Hawk!" she screeched and between her opened palms she conjured a ball of crystal energy. Tossing it, she sent him fluttering away in an attempt to dodge the attack.

The young woman gave more irritant glances at the sight of several shadows coming off the Condor, the rest of the Sky Knight's squadron. She jabbed her staff forward, aiming for the heliscooter coming down near her before blasting a bolt of red. The Firebolt shot connected with her dark skinned counterpart's sky ride and she allowed a smirk to grace her mouth at Piper's scream of terror.

Unfortunately, her new joy was ruined by the redheaded Sky Knight returning to rescue his friend.

"They can never die, can they?" she muttered and accelerated her speed, shooting straight towards her destination.

Arriving at the stone monument, she let her feet lightly set onto the ground. A thin cloud of dust, dirt, and ash picked off the grayish brown ground, but she did not care if it dusted her shoes. Placing a lithe hand on the smooth, eroded stone, she felt where time had ravaged it before discovering man-made recesses in it. Pointing her staff once more, she sent a burst of wind at it and dislodged the grime that covered it. Dirt and dust and ash burst out of it in a great cloud she simply swiped away with a movement of her wrist.

Staring at the monument now, she noted the resemblance of the symbols to ancient Cyclonian dialect.

"Perhaps an origin to our current dialect?" she mused under her breath as she eyed the dull gray crystal in embedded into it.

Placing her palm onto the crystal, she felt its rough edges digging into her skin. She cared little of her alabaster skin turning red from pressing down on the crystal, but she did care if her plan did not work. The sound of engines reached her ears and the empress grit her teeth as energy flowed from her into the crystal. A faint crimson glow emitted from beneath her hand, and it soon turned into a scarlet glare that flashed out as she retracted her hand. Shielding her eyes, Cyclonis watched with a wide smile as the monument began to shake, pieces cracking and crumbling as the valley of grime and smut began lifting up in vast clouds of grey and brown.

The sky darkened as she gripped the crystal on her necklace, using it to become invisible just as the Storm Hawks burst through the dirt cloud cover.

"Cycloni- Uh, where is she?"

A smirk graced her once more as she levitated up, sneaking up into the sky as the monument moved revealing a secret passage. Her eyes wandered upon realizing that she'd have to wait for the Storm Hawks to move in order to get down there. Taking a brief moment to take in her surroundings again, she noticed that the valley had changed, the large cliffs lining either side of it had crumbled to reveal ancient stone architecture leading up to massive pedestals on which stood ginormous statues.

Each one was a man standing straight up, all wearing large robes that hung from their bodies. Their arms, contained within baggy sleeves connected to each other when either limb crossed on the chest so their hands could slip into the opposite sleeve. In this pose that she normally saw the monastic people of the more religiously aligned terras, she witnessed them bowing forward with their upper body, as if giving respect to all those whom entered the ancient valley.

"She must have had a Cloaking Crystal!"

Staring down at Piper, Lark Cyclonis produced another smirk before eyeing their slow movements that pushed them away from the tomb towards the landing Condor.

"She might've gone into that underground... uh, thing," Aerrow suggested, but he was only partially right as the cloaked Cyclonian empress shot down into the tomb.

* * *

"Aerrow!"

The 19-year-old Sky Knight turned his head, seeing a great puff of dirt and dust blast up as something went into the underground tomb. His mouth dropped in shock, but he grit his teeth as he turned his skimmer around, driving it forward towards the entrance.

"Let's go!" he shouted and braced himself as his tire bumped on the stairs violently.

Thoughts raced through his mind as he drove down, keeping a steady and slow speed to not lose control on the steps. Even with the rocking of his skimmer, Aerrow lost himself to his mind as a memory of the planning early in the day returned to him.

_"Whatever this valley is, it's ancient and Cyclonis wants something in there."_

_"We'll stop her, Piper."_

_"I know, Aerrow. It's just... ever since we came here, everything so... old, archaic," the navigator rambled, losing control of her speech as energy filled her sentences. "It's all older than a lot of things we've seen back in Atmos, but it's more powerful... why?"_

_"Maybe... uh... I dunno," Finn responded and Junko ended up lightly punching his arm._

_Piper sent him a glare, but lightened up her expression to address Aerrow, "Well, whatever the case, we have to stop Cyclonis from getting whatever she needs."_

"Cyclonis!"

He glared at the slim figure that stood at the top of a set of stairs. Eyes narrowed, he observed her turn, lithe hands clenching in anger before relaxing as she turned to stare with an annoyed, but cool expression. They stood at the threshold of the entrance to the large chamber, rectangular in shape with the ceiling high up to the point that shadows enveloped the ceiling. Pillars lined a stone tiled path up to the stairs and they stayed evenly apart with enough space for small battalions of stone statue soldiers stood with unlit energy blades in their hands.

"Ah, Aerrow," she drawled, with venom dripping from her voice. "So glad you could join me."

Smirking, the Sky Knight crossed his arms as his squadron rode up next to him, minus Stork.

"Sorry about the extra company, just didn't feel right without some friends."

A frown crossed her lips and her alabaster skin became taught across her face. Amethyst eyes bored into him, almost seeming to burn a hole into his mind, but he just glared back at her.

"Oh, I suppose this is the part where I explain my newest, devious plot."

"Sure," Finn sighed with a grin, but Piper slapped his arm.

"Funny," Cyclonis inquired and they all raised their eyebrows in confusion.

"What?"

Aerrow tilted his head following his question, lost at why she would say that.

"Oh, I'm simply amused that Atmos' greatest warriors are mere children, I included."

Her comment ended with a giggle, unsuited for the empress, but yet giving her a far more sadistic appearance. A lithe finger pressed against her bottom lip as she twirled her staff to point one end at the ground while the other rested against her elbow.

"Come, Sky Knights," the 19-year-old empress of Cyclonia called, raising her arm as the other moved to her side, the bladed staff pointing straight at them. "Meet your doom!"

The end glowed as the Firebolt crystal held at its head began to charge with energy. Before they knew it, a beam of red crystal energy shot out and they narrowly dodged the singing line. It cut through the stone tiled ground, running towards them quickly. Most of them escaped, most of them being a key word. Finn, unfortunately, found his ride cut in half as it jerked forward and he slumped against it groaning.

"Come on," he moaned in defeat as the Storm Hawks prepared for combat.

In moments, the battle began as Cyclonis engaged the five alone. Her staff spun and swatted Junko's head, knocking him away as he held onto the bruising and bleeding spot. Piper stopped her twirling, bladed staff by sending her own staff into its steel saucer movement. Barely holding the strength to keep it that way, she quickly jerked her arms and brought Cyclonis' staff down. The two took fighting stances and charged at each other, either ends of their staffs striking each other in sparks and at times, the crystals produced great blasts of energy and flashes of light when they clashed.

As the two dueled, Aerrow and Radaar took the opportunity to sneak by with Finn towards the stairs that Cyclonis had stood on. Sneaking up them quietly, they found themselves before an all too familiar Far Side technology.

"A Crystal Prison," Aerrow gasped, seeing the massive chunk of magenta crystal sitting in a massive circle.

Eyeing the symbols written in between the two lines that created the circle, Aerrow cautiously walked around it. He looked into it, hoping to see what Cyclonis was trying to find with it.

"Do you think there's someone in there?" Finn asked as Radaar made screeching noises.

"I dunno," the redhead replied, crossing his arms with both daggers still lit in either hand.

A sudden screech from Radaar alerted the two to his incessant pointing down below. They turned their gazes to where he was directing them and gasps of horror came from their lungs. Lying on the ground groaning was Piper and over her was Cyclonis, sporting new wounds on her clothing, but none on her pale skin. The two backed up as she began levitating, her outline gaining a blurred glow of purple encased her. Hovering up and towards them, she pointed her chin up as she gazed down in a demeaning look.

"Get ready!" Aerrow ordered as he swung his daggers in front of him, both energy blades glowing with their cerulean colors as Finn loaded his crossbow, aiming up at her.

It seemed as if she was going to fire another laser, but instead she pointed the staff at a large box near them. The stone crate cracked and burst open as magenta crystals flew out.

"Don't let them get you!" the leader of the Storm Hawks cried out as he ducked and dodged the Crystal Prison shackles, knowing full well what would happen if they locked onto any part of him.

Finn was lucky to weave around each one, his slim figure a hard target to hit while his clumsiness made him even harder to predict his movements. Radaar scurried about, scampering around pillars as the crystal shackles chased him and his friends, running them in circles.

Cyclonis allowed herself a laugh, watching them flee like chickens with their heads cleaved off. The only part she was missing was the blood, it would have been nice seeing headless Sky Knights meandering about aimlessly. Unfortunately, she knew the scene to be too graphic for one such as her as well as being only an imagination rather than a real image. She was an almighty empress, not a serial killer.

"Hey, Cyclonis!"

Before the teenage ruler knew it, Aerrow had run up a pillar and used it as footing to leap off of. He flew into her, grabbing her lithe form in mid-air to which a rose red blush burned her cheeks. Before she knew it again, the Sky Knight had jumped off of her and somersaulted past her as a magenta cuff slammed against her neck.

A choke emitted from her as she grabbed her new accessory, trying to pry it off as she flew out of control. Her mind raced as circulation was cut off from her neck and lungs, air no longer flowing properly. Quickly, she adapted and took steadier, smaller breaths to even out her breathing, but she needed to escape and rest. She eyed Aerrow smirking nearby with Finn and Radaar heaving in air as the magenta cuffs fell to the floor with a clatter, her telekinetic link to them severed by her new concerning thought.

"Argh!" she screamed at them before charging forward, only to find that she couldn't.

Realization struck her as the line at the base of her feet glowed a harsh purple color, lighting up as with the Crystal Prison.

"No," Cyclonis whispered in fright, seeing her imprisonment near. "No!"

She tried levitating away, but the force was getting stronger. It was pulling her in like strings were attached to her body, wrapped around her limbs and tugging her back. An idea sprung to her mind, one she had invented upon the case of being imprisoned herself in the Crystal Prison she had brought back to Atmos.

Spinning around, she raised her staff as she flew towards the prison.

"Cyclonis!" Aerrow shouted, eyes wide in concern as he watched her attempt to attack the massive chunk of crystal.

Everything was a blur then, all the events that transpired in those few seconds just a bright flash of purple light and a great howl of energy.

"Ugh," Aerrow groaned, spitting out warm saliva as he held his stomach.

Everything was churning and spinning, his stomach was unsettled and his mind was racing. Limbs were sore and he felt bruises forming with every touch of another surface.

"S-Sky Knight."

He turned his head, seeing the Cyclonian master leaning against a cracked pillar, hand against her throat where the magenta crystal had left a red mark. She glared at him, eyes burning into his soul with hatred and fury. Her staff still remained in her delicate hands, thin fingers wrapped around the steel shaft tightly. Her skin was paler than usual, most likely from the trauma they had all just faced. Her clothes were tattered and burnt, parts of it revealing more of her alabaster flesh, some of which was beginning to gain a red and purple color from cuts and bruises, blood oozing at a sluggish rate from the minor scrapes she had.

"I'll destroy you," Cyclonis growled and pointed her staff at him, the end tipped with a crackling Firebolt crystal, the energy in it overloaded from absorbing the crystal energy of the prison.

"Ah!"

Their eyes shot towards the new sound, a throaty and guttural war cry.

A shadowy figure came down upon Cyclonis, a burly man dressed in metal armor and black cloth like armored robes. He was tall, massive even with muscular arms that were evened out by the length of them that balanced out with his height. While Snipe was a brute, all-in-all, this man was a perfect description of a balanced warrior, muscular and lean. The newcomer was pale, as pale as the Cyclonian girl, but his head was scarce of hair, completely shaven bald while his jaw was marred with scars and black soot.

In his right hand he held an energy blade, a sword in actuality. It burned brightly with a perfectly refined Firebolt crystal in its hilt, the projector blade on its hilt-less handle making a long scarlet blade jut out.

This warrior came down on Cyclonis, his blade striking onto her staff. His attacks were a flurry and a blizzard, unpredictable for his speed was as fast as the Condor when a Nitro crystal was in its engine. His scarlet weapon left red, glittering trails in its wake, every strike with the steel of the empress' staff making flashes of gold. She barely kept up with his attacks, completely on the defensive and at his mercy as he ruthlessly pushed her back.

A face of horror and terror was on her as she backed up, feet scraping stone pebbles and dust aside. The pale girl could not counterattack with the ferocity and velocity of his strikes, each swing matched by the sudden movements of his arms. He was an unstoppable force, mixing a kind of fluidity with his brute force.

"Ah!" he roared again, giving that same throaty and guttural war cry that drove a spike of fright into Cyclonis' heart.

He swung down on her, then flipped over so his blade came down with some kind of momentum that pushed her down. The warrior kept her down there, using his strength to keep the girl pressed beneath his blade.

"Insolent child!" he bellowed and pressed further down, trying to break her defensive stance.

It was working as her muscles strained to hold up the staff. A cramp was forming, she could feel it, or maybe it was just fear. No, it was simply her imagination running wild as she faced certain death by this interloper.

Meanwhile, as the two dueled, Aerrow watched in fascination and slight fear. This man, this large and in charge warrior had jumped out of nowhere, then proceeded to drive back Cyclonis herself. Maybe she was just weak from being in the explosion? Yes, that would be a probably answer, but the Sky Knight knew that even if she was at full strength, the man could best her.

"Aerrow!" a voice cried out and he looked away from the battle to find Piper running over to him, falling to her knees to slide across the stone tiles.

She halted right next to him and took a second to make sure she wasn't moving before grabbing his body. He grunted in pain, but nodded with a smile at her concerned look.

"I'm fine, Piper."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, totall- ah!"

He gave a girlish squeal as she pressed on his wrist to which she cocked her head with a smirk.

"Uh, who's that?"

Both Storm Hawks turned in Finn's direction as he pointed at the large warrior with a scarlet blade, battling Cyclonis and winning.

"Uh... some new guy who doesn't like Cyclonis too?" Junko inquired, scratching his head, but there was doubt in his voice.

Returning their eyes to the duel, they witnessed Cyclonis gain enough strength to thrust her staff up. The jerk in the attack caught the man off guard and she used the moment to send a repulse of crystal energy out, a sphere of blue energy faintly appearing and expanding. However, the warrior simply held out a hand and instead of being thrown into the pillar a few meters away from him, was pushed back a mere yard or two.

"What?" Cyclonis gasped, seeing him brush her attack off without any after effects to stagger him.

"Rise my brothers!" he suddenly called and the chamber shook. "Rise my sisters!"

Everyone besides him looked around as dust came of the ceiling, a few tiny pieces of debris clattering onto the ground with it. The statues began cracking, breaking open and coming alive to grip their weapons. Fear overtook the Storm Hawks in Cyclonis as they witnessed the resurrection of an army. This stone army became flesh and cloth, metal armor adorning their bodies like the warrior whom had attacked the empress.

"What- H-how?" she murmured, stepping backwards as despair crawled into her soul, cooling the fire that burned for vengeance.

"Die like the insolent child you are," the man stated and pointed the scarlet blade in her direction. "Slaughter them all!"

Quickly acting, before any of the newly revived warriors could come at them, Aerrow shouted a command, "Stork! Canon fire!"

The call went through his skimmer nearby, his crawling towards it and activating the radio letting Stork know what to do.

"On it, Aerrow," he rasped through, his voice as depressed as ever.

The chamber shook again, this time from the bombardment above. Stone cracked and crumbled, breaking and coming off the pillars and ceiling in large chunks.

"We need to get out of here!"

The Sky Knight leader nodded at Piper before throwing his hand backwards, gesturing for them to retreat. However, his eyes lingered on the lone form of a pale girl amidst the armored cloaked warriors with scarlet blades.

"Cyclonis!" Aerrow shouted and got onto his sky ride moments before driving towards her.

She had no idea what was happening as the black robed men parted a path to not be run over by the redheaded Sky Knight. A hand grasped her waist and she yelped as she was pulled up by her arch-nemesis, the one she had sworn to wipe off the face of the planet. Things went by in a blur, partially to the slowing of her mind as she fell into a slumber, and also due to the clouds of dust forming around her.

Light flooded her vision briefly as Aerrow took off, flying them up to the Condor above as the cloaked men escaped the tomb. Her eyes briefly locked onto one of them, a different one whom wore less bulky armor and more streamline one. He looked up at her, a hood covering his head as a shadow cast over his face letting only eyes that burned with amethyst suns. She noted how he stared at her specifically, as if he had a personal vendetta, an agenda that dictated her death. Then she noted how he let go of the blonde Storm Hawk, Finn's head to let him escape.

Finally, she fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

**So**

**How was that?**

**Fun?**

**Exciting?**

**Strange?**

**New?**

**Now I know what you're thinking**

**"Oh no! The Shades/Shaders/Shadows/Blah blah blah"**

**Nope, not shadows**

**This is different**

**Oh**

**So**

**Very**

**Different**

**Now**

**I want to thank you guys for reading**

**And I want to ask you something imperative to the success of this story**

**Please Review, Favorite, and Follow**

**The more reviews, favorites, and follows, I'm sure its popularity will rise**

**However, if you feel that this story doesn't deserve your likes, then take that up with me**

**I accept Flames, they help me become a better writer**

**I'm an adaptive person**

**I'll evolve  
**

**Now**

**Do that please**

**Review, Favorite, and Follow**

**Now**

**I bid you farewell**

**Sincerely,  
Lord Revan Flame**


End file.
